Cyprus Holiday Diary 2
2nd October
We arrived with a little delay, around 8.20pm finding out that it was raining and windy! When we came out of the plane we didn't feel that warm wet air we remembered. It was quite chilly! Or maybe we were just tired!
It wasn't easy to find the meeting point for the car rental - the company is Avis - and the people there weren't friendly either. Not a good thing for them, I think! In total the arrival in Paphos wasn't so good so far!
We got a Peugeot 107, a newish one (but very tired…), Tilly, as Simon called it because of the noises it makes!
We stopped on the way to Hilltop Gardens to buy coffee and sugar - vital for Simon - and other little things we wanted, we booked into the hotel and then went off to find Karlina, the restaurant from last year we liked very much. And we found it! With the same people working there, same friendly and good food! Things that pleased a lot and made us feel much better.
Of course we went back to the hotel and dropped off!!
3rd October
A perfect day!
We couldn't ask for more! Sun, warm, a quite strong wind but warm, perfect for us, not to feel the sun to strong. And the sea!!! Great!!! With big waves, beautiful, that reminded me of the Black Sea. But much nicer here, because the Mediterranean Sea is much warmer and cleaner!
I was most of the time in the water, fighting with the waves! Wonderful!!
Cyprus
At lunch time we went for something to eat and then to our hotel, thinking we can rest a little bit.
Because of the weather, water perhaps, the fact that we are on holiday, a very longed for holiday, we couldn't stay in bed so we went back on the beach, our favourite Coral Bay. The waves were bigger now!
At a moment I felt exhausted. I played so much with the waves, trying to catch every one and be on top!!!! Unfortunately I had to get in and have a rest.
We left the beach almost at sun set. We watched the sun diving into the sea. I said "Good bye beauty, see you tomorrow!”
A really wonderful day!!
In the room we noticed that Simon is almost red on his chest and legs, even thought he used sun cream (of course not from the begging, just after a while!).
Again Karlina! I felt hungry after so much fighting with the waves! They received us very friendly, like old acquaintances. We receive, every time, at the end, fruits and a little glass with some liqueur.
At the hotel we went to reception where the internet is the strongest and I made some phone calls and Simon worked a little bit.
When we went back to the room I thought I'll go immediately to bed, but I didn't. Maybe because of the excitement over the day! We had a chat, me and Simon, over a cigarette, and finally we went to bed!
4th October
We woke up quite early. Simon with some head aches because of his sinuses. The salt water does him good, but it will take some time to clear, I think ... Anyhow are not as strong as in England.
And because we didn't want our skin to be too burnt we decided better to go for a drive to Akamas Peninsula.
So we went first to Lidl (it's one near us) to buy water and some pastry for lunch (very tasty), in case we got hungry and here we are, to this very nice place, where we've been in 2010 and we liked it very much.
We stopped quite often.
We discovered some Byzantine tombs, necropolis (was an old sign you could see, somewhere behind some trees, obviously at a time considered a tourist attraction and now abandoned).
Necropolis - Akamas Peninsula
Very well preserved - what was not yet destroyed by Cypriots trying to build everywhere. And on a big area. It is clear that on that time it was a big Roman community here. We took a lot of pictures.
This place is situated on a hill, and from there you can see very far away towards north and same towards west. Very interesting position and beautiful views!
We drove further, but because the road is one off road and we didn't want to force Tilly, we couldn't go as far as in 2010.
We stopped somewhere on a beach where they say that the turtles come and make their nests and from here the babies go into the sea. But Simon, who lived here for a while in the past, told me that he never saw them....
We watched some kind of insects, quite big, like the crickets, but much bigger. When they jump actually they fly and you can see very red wings opening. Very interesting!
When we came back we stopped on a banana plantation. I noticed that now you can see a lot of areas with banana plantations and olive groves and other orchards as well. I thought that this is very good, they try to produce something!
Cyprus Bananas
We looked much more carefully at how the bananas grow. And we discovered that actually it's not a banana tree, it's a banana plant, like those ornamental plants with huge leaves! I don't know how long it takes to reach the height of a person, a medium tall one (I suppose about 2-3 years), but from the top of this plant starts to grow like a mauve-purple flower, with a stalk as thick as a man's hand and bending towards the ground. Under each petal-leaf of this flower grow ... BANANAS, nicely arranged, about 7-8 little babies, so small, about 1 inch each. By the time goes, the petal-leaf dries and the bananas grow bigger and bigger. And this process seems endless, because absolutely each of this plant had the flower cut and left only with about 3 feet length of stalk with bananas to grow.
Isn't nature marvellous??!!!!
We ate the pastry - butter croissants, pastry with cheese and sausage rolls - again I can say very tasty, delicious. We enjoyed it.
We returned home feeling quite tired.
About 4 o'clock we went to Coral Bay, had a swim, rested on the chairs there watching the sun going down into the sea!
About 7 o'clock we went to Karlina where we already feel like between friends. And the meals are really delicious. Then we came back home, Simon went to work on internet a little bit, I wrote in the diary on the computer and after that a nice sleep!
5th October
We felt quite chilly over the night. We cover only with a sheet, but last night we felt a little bit cold only like that.
We decided to try to eat a good meal at about lunch time and to have in the evening something lighter.
So we went to Coral Bay for a sun bathe and a swim. But the air still felt cool and the water wasn't as warm as yesterday, though much calmer.
We came back home about 12.30.
I have to say that we are very pleased how people here keep the rooms. They come every day and clean, empty the little bins, arrange the beds. And today they changed the towels and we found a little cloth for the kitchen (we bought some but not so good, perhaps they saw that!).
Simon had a coffee and a cigarette, then we went to Karlina to have a nice lunch and then back home to rest.
I have to admit, once again, that from all the places we tried to eat (and I can say we tried a few!) Karlina remains the best. The food is delicious, no matter what you order. I don't know how the chef does it, but everything he makes it's very good. And the prices are very good as well.
At the hotel Simon managed to sleep a little bit and I continued with my diary.
About 5 o'clock we went to Coral Bay to watch how the beautiful Sun goes to sleep! Wonderful!
Unfortunately it was very cold, the wind, the air was really cold. But we didn't move until the Sun went down. It was really like at the Black Sea where in the evening if you go for a walk on the beach you have to dress with something warmer, because the air is chilly! It never happened like this before and every time we came with 2 weeks later, middle towards end of October. We tried to come earlier especially to be warmer, the sea to be warmer! And now it's colder!
We went to buy something to eat in the evening and then I dressed with trousers and a shirt with long sleeves and went to the harbour. Simon wore his shorts, he said: I'm English; I'm used with this weather! We laughed and it wasn't too bad.
We enjoyed, the walk along was nice. We looked in souvenir shops, having fun about little things we saw, some we liked, some were really silly. We realised that the prices, compared with the past years, were up, a lot! Exaggerated I can say. Especially that it's not the season any more!
We arrived at the hotel tired by the air and the sea, but enjoying. Simon went to the internet to work a little bit and I went to bed, feeling very sleepy!
6th October
Today is Sunday! For the moment is peaceful, also because it is quite early, it's about 8.30 in the morning! I slept very well, but because I went to bed early I woke up relatively early.
It's sunny, beautiful! But cold! The air is cold and when the wind is blowing you can really feel the cold air!
Simon slept a little bit longer but woke up very refreshed! It is really nice to see the Sun and the beautiful sea!
We arrived at the beach about 10.30. The sea is much calmer.
Simon went directly in the water. I didn't. I felt chilly without going in the water so I didn't feel like being chillier! I sat on the long chair and soon the Sun warmed me up so I dared to go for a swim. It was great! Now I didn't feel that the water was cold! And the wind is not strong at all! I went for a swim a few times until we left the beach and I felt that the Sun was really strong.
When we came back to the hotel and I looked in the mirror I realised that my skin was quite dark! Very pleased about that!
We went to Karlina for a meal and returned to our room for a little rest. And because the wind started to blow really strongly we decided not to go on the beach in the afternoon.
About 4 o'clock we took the car and went for a wandering drive. Simon had found something on internet about a ranch, Eagle Mountain Ranch, where you were able to ride a horse. Being Cypriots - Greeks, when you see an advert about something here you don't have to believe it literally! So we went to investigate about this ranch! When we arrived there, being Sunday, nobody was at home. But we found the animals: a horse, 2 ponies and a donkey!!! And they didn't look well and happy at all!!! The conclusion is clear!
Cyprus Donkey
We went to another place we saw when we went to Akamas Peninsula. It was another ranch and passing I’ve seen quite a few horses among the trees.
Indeed it was a real herd, nice horses. We asked for details in case we decide to come and have a ride! I'd love to!
Returning to Paphos we stopped at a place "Go karting", same for details. I'd like to drive, especially that I don't have a driving licence and here it looks like you can reach about 40 m/h as maximum speed, for me being a lot! They told us that it is open every day after 1 o'clock.
And so the time passed and it was almost evening.
We returned to our hotel and I watched the Sun going to bed from our balcony (he goes to bed quite early, about 6.30!). It is really beautiful! I saw so many sun sets but every time I am same astonished about the beauty of the nature!
We went for internet, me checking my e-mails and making some phone calls and Simon working a little.
We felt really tired. The air and the sea!
We came back to our room we had a chat about anything and everything so we didn't realised when the time passed! It was after 10 o'clock when we checked the time!
Good night!
7th October
Another sunny day, without any clouds, but cold. You can feel the sun burning, but if you stay in the shade or when the wind is blowing, even if it's just a breeze, you can feel the cold air! The sea is also cold, much colder then when we came here and much colder then the past years, even if we came later! I suppose is this cold wind from NW!
We went to Coral Bay in the morning, Simon had a swim but I couldn't persuade myself to do it!
For lunch, at Karlina of course, I had lamb kleftiko, which is lamb cooked in a clay oven, becoming very soft, almost melting in your mouth. Very good!
After that we decided to go karting. For me, because I am not driving and I never did that, it was a very exciting and interesting experience. I was really excited. The first 2 laps I had problems taking the curves but I learned quite quickly and drove full speed! It was great! And especially that there were 2 other cars driving in the same time, that made me nervous at the beginning, but as I said after 2 laps I became very confident!
Cyprus Go Karting
This experience convinced me once again, if it was necessary, that I wouldn't be a good driver. As a race driver I would like, it's very taking in, to feel the speed!!
Next we felt like going to Latsi, which is in Akamas Peninsula, almost the most north-west point of Cyprus. It was so nice! You cross some hills and the view from there is wonderful!
We stopped, of course, many times to take pictures. Cyprus flora is really interesting because it is so different from what we are used to! It is amazing how different types of bushes and trees and plants manage to grow in such an unfriendly soil! And have such nice flowers some of them! It is the fourth time when we come here and I am still so amazed about this!
At some point we reached a place like a vegetable garden, enormous one, but had also flowers growing, it was Strelitzia, known as bird of paradise flower. I never saw in my life a whole big area only with Strelitzia! Impressive! There were also a lot of other plants: sunflowers, some like very small trees, full of fruits and others I couldn’t recognize!
Cyprus Strelitzia - Bird Of Paradise Flower
I did enjoy our little trip, especially seeing all those interesting things and beautiful vistas!
We arrived home after sun set, quite late.
Because of the air I suppose we feel so tired at the end of such a day!
We went to bed really early!
Good night!
8th October
Today was warmer. Much nicer than the other days! A perfect blue sky! The wind was not so cold and not so strong. But the water still cold for how we are used to.
We didn't stay too long on the beach because we had an appointment to go for riding! At 3 o'clock we had to be at George's Ranch for one hour riding! They have about 40 horses, all of them beautiful. They are well treated, most of the horses rescued, even 2 race horses! The people working there love horses, obviously! Otherwise you couldn't do this kind of job properly!
It was such an experience!
We were four: the two of us and a Greek girl with her friend, a French guy!
Michelle (the girl who was in charge with the riding and the boss) brought the horses and introduced them to us: mine was Angelos, the girl's was Zoro, the French guy's was George and Simon's was Naghis. George was the oldest one, nobody knows exactly how old is he, he is from the beginning at this ranch. George and Naghis were race horses, once. Naghis a little bit temperamental and if the rider was soft he wanted to be in control! Angelos and Zoro were pure Cypriot horses, very strong, resistant at everything and very docile. Michelle explained that they are at the origin wild horses, the Cypriot ones.
Cyprus Horse Riding
Poor Simon had a job to make Naghis walk on the way to the coast, where we had the ride. Michelle kept saying kick him in the belly (that supposes we had to do to make them walk and hold the rains if we wanted them to stop) but Simon doesn't like to hurt any animal so it was really difficult for him to do that in order to make Naghis to walk. And Naghis, being cheeky, of course took advantage of that! But in the end, with a lot of calm - that is a very strong characteristic of Simon - and talking all the time to the horse Simon managed to control him and made Naghis listen to him. Good job that Simon was the one who rode Naghis otherwise I don't know... Because none of the four of us did ride a horse before! Nor Simon, just once in Romania, at Poiana Brasov, but same as a novice! (how did Michelle know to give Naghis to Simon and nobody else?! I wonder!).
Cyprus Horse Riding
At the beginning I was afraid of loosing balance on the horse, but in time one get used to the movement and if you let your body to follow the movement of the horse it is quite easy (it is more difficult than riding a camel though!). And you can help your balance keeping tight the knees to the horse. I did that, but when I got off the horse I felt stuck!!! And had muscular fever in my legs!
The views on that coast we rode were really very beautiful! It was a rocky one but so beautiful! The shape of the rocks, moulded in time by wind and water is so interesting and impressive!
Again: nature is very beautiful!!!!!!!!
After riding we tried to find a road that could get us nearer that place, to be able to walk around there and take more pictures!
Cyprus Rocky Coast
We found a way and also a pub that was placed exactly on the coast near some sea caves. Beautiful! We wondered around there for a while, then we sat at a table have something to drink and watched the Sun going into the sea. The sea was so calm and beautiful! And an incredible sun set!!! No pictures can show what the eye sees! It is wonderful!
Cyprus Sunset
We went back to the hotel and then wondered a little bit in the harbour. We arrived home about 9.30, really finished!
Good night!
9th October
Last day!
Very warm, without any wind, again a perfect blue sky!
We decided not to go on the beach, for a swim. Anyhow we had to clear the room till 12 o'clock, so we had to pack.
Then we wondered in the harbour. Simon took me to the fruit market. I was amazed to see how many local fruits they have, fruits I never heard of! I remembered that I saw some of them in that garden the other day where we stopped on our way to Latsi.
I stopped at every stand to study each fruit I never saw. Of course I forgot the names, I remember only one: granade, which is like an apple as aspect, but much bigger and the cover is very hard, like a pumpkin shell. And the colour is reddish…
I saw a lot of big cactuses with some strange bulbs at the end. I thought then that are flowers. But today we saw them in the market as fruits! And some others, looking like little water melons, with a taste I can't describe, not similar with anything I know. And others looking like cons, but green and the taste was like pears. The people in the market had them cut, especially for some like us to try them to see if we like. I took a lot of pictures from the market!
Cyprus Paphos Market
After that Simon took me to a place like a bazaar, like the Istanbul bazaar, but a fraction of that one as big. Very nice and I had a lot of fun looking at things, playing or admiring!
So the time past very quickly. We ended up at a restaurant in the harbour, near the sea, called "The Moorings". It was nice. I liked it. We decided that when we will come again next year we will try to have the lunch here in the harbour. It's much nicer, more picturesque.
It was about 3 o'clock when we finished and we decided to go to that pub near the sea caves to have a drink and wait till 6 o'clock when we had to be in the airport and bring back Tilly.
It was great, watching the beautiful sea, it was so calm!
We thanked Tilly for being good and driving us where we needed.
At the airport we changed into thicker clothes, we come to England no?! And I had to repack.
Good bye!! Till next year!!
Cyprus
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